Wildcatters (2013) Board Game

Wildcatters is a board game that was released in 2013 and designed by Bas Jongkind, Daan van Paridon, and Thijs van Paridon. The game is set in the early days of the oil industry in the United States, where players take on the role of oil barons trying to strike it rich by drilling for oil and building pipelines.

Game Components of Wildcatters

Game board featuring a world map divided into eight areas

Oil rigs, pump jacks, trains, boats, and refineries

Location cards corresponding to areas on the board

Workers and shares for each player

Wildcatter tokens and oil barrels

Refinery and transportation infrastructure components

Cash and share currencies

Region cards that dictate where players can act[5%.

How To Setup Wildcatters

To set up Wildcatters, each player starts by receiving various components including oil rigs, trains, boats, refineries, and shares. Players are dealt eight location cards that determine where they can place their initial oil rigs, trains, and other infrastructure on the board. The setup involves placing these items on the board based on the location cards, which adds variability to each game. Player aids are provided to help clarify the setup process[3%.

Gameplay Mechanics and Game Objective

Gameplay Mechanics

Region Selection: Players choose region cards to determine where they can act.

Infrastructure Building: Building oil rigs, trains, boats, and refineries using cash.

Oil Production: Converting oil rigs to pump jacks to produce oil.

Auction Mechanism: Bidding for wildcatter tokens, which come with oil and victory points.

Transportation and Delivery: Transporting oil to refineries and delivering it to continents.

Collaboration and Piggybacking: Players can use other players’ infrastructure, encouraging strategic collaboration[5%.

Game Objective

The objective is to score the most points by:

Collecting and delivering oil to continents.

Building and utilizing refineries.

Acquiring wildcatter tokens.

Managing shares and cash effectively.

Having the most workers and dominant share holdings in each company[3%.

Player Experience

Playing Wildcatters involves careful planning and strategic decision-making. Players must balance their own expansion with the need to collaborate with opponents, utilizing their infrastructure and actions to gain an edge. The game’s region card mechanism restricts where players can act, making each decision crucial and fostering a sense of interdependence among players. This blend of competition and cooperation adds a rich layer of complexity and replayability to the game[3%.

Pros

Rich Theme: Immersive and historically grounded theme of the early oil industry.

Complex Strategy: Offers deep strategic gameplay with multiple paths to victory.

Collaborative Element: Encourages cooperation while maintaining competitive tension.

Replayability: Variable setup and multiple strategies ensure high replay value[4%.

Cons

Complexity: Steep learning curve due to numerous mechanics and components.

Card Quality: Some players find the cards to be too thin, which can be a minor annoyance[3%.

Personal Thoughts on Wildcatters

Wildcatters is ideal for experienced board game enthusiasts who enjoy complex economic and strategic games. It is particularly suited for those who appreciate games with deep themes and multiple layers of strategy. While it may not be the best fit for casual gamers due to its complexity, fans of games like “Puerto Rico” or “Agricola” will likely find Wildcatters to be a rewarding and challenging experience.

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